Pneumatic mattress



Feb, 20, 1945. v H 2,369,736

PNEUMATIC MATTRES S Filed Dec. 29, 1942 INVENTOR. W670i H. H057 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 20, 1945 v PNEUMATIC MATTRESS Victor H. Hurt, Cranston, R. 1., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 29, 1942, Serial No. 470,481

3 Claims.

This invention relates to'pneumatic mattresses adapted for use as light-weight sleeping equipment such as may be employed in camps.

Pneumatic mattresses of various types have 'inner walls of the mattress as shown. The mat-- tress preferably is large enough to form a comfortable bed for a person.

The primary feature of the present invention pie as just described that has associated therewith a pillow in position to serve as a head rest for the person lying on the mattress, and which also serves as a. bellows adapted to be manuallybeen provided heretofore which are adapted to be 5 operated to pump air into the mattress to ininflated for use and deflated and rolled up into flate it.

a small package when not in use, but the problem In the construction shown the mattress has of inflating such mattresses is troublesome. secured to the upper face thereof adjacent one The present invention contemplates a pneuend an approximately, semi-cylindrical pillow l5 matic mattress having associated therewith a pllwhich for the most part may be formed of an air low which is constructed to serve also as a belimpervious fabric similar to the fabric ill and it lows for inflating the mattress. above described.

Both the mattress and pillow may be variously The pillow it comprises an air-tight receptaformed, provided the construction of the pillow cie formed of the approximately semi-cylindrical is such that it will become filled with air from the wall it that is tightly secured to the lower wall atmosphere when fully extended, and will pump or floor ll. This floor ll is sewed or adhesively this air into the mattress as the pillow is forced secured to the tubular sections it of the mat to a collapsed position. tress as shown. The pillow is provided with an The above and other features of the invention air inlet it formed with-a one-way valve where will be more fully understood from the following by air may enter the pillow from the atmosphere detailed description when read in connection through this opening but cannot escape from the with the accompanying drawing wherein: pillow through this opening. The pillow is fur- .Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a pneumatic matther provided with the air passage l9 leading tress having a pneumatic pillow such as contemfrom the pillow into the mattress and which plated by the present invention associated thereis also formed with a one-way valve that permits with; air to pass from the pillow into the mattress but Fig. 2-is an end view, upon a larger scale, with not in the reverse direction.

parts in section of the construction shown in The purpose of the pillow It as above stated Fig. 1; I is to form a headrest for a person lying on the Fig. 3 is a view similar. to Fig. 2 showing how 80 mattress and also to form a bellows which may the mattress is inflated by collapsing the pillow; be manually operated to pump air into the matand tress. These results could be secured by con- Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. structing the pillow of relatively stifl rubber that The manner in which the pneumatic mattress would return to its original shape, or by other is constructed forms no essential part of the preswise forming the pillow so that it would inherent invention. This mattress as shown in the ently return to its fully inflated condition when drawing is formed primarily of two relatively free from external pressure, and would serve to large sheets of fabric l0 and H which have been force the air confined therein into the mattress treated with rubber or other coating material through the p ssage 19 when the pillow is coit render th fabric mmervious t i The 40 lapsed. Such a construction however, would reginal edges of these sheets I0 and II are secured sist being compressed into a compact condition together around the outside of the mattress by when the combined mattress and pillow are to seams I! which may be cemented or otherwise be rolled up into a ma l p k Therefore. formed. The mattress preferably is divided lonin the construction shown the pillow 15 will not gitudinally so as to form the tubular sections I3 automatically extend itself to the fully inflated having secured between them the longitudinally condition in which it is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 extending fabric partition it which serves to but needs to be manually extended to this fully limit the extent to which the mattresymay exinflated condition. 1 pand laterally when inflated. These partitions In the construction shown the semi-cylindrical It may be cemented or stitched to the opposite wall l6, floor ll and end Walls may be formed of air impervious fabric such as used in the mattress, but if desired, the end walls 20 may be formed of a stiffer material. These end walls are foldingly secured to the top of the mattress by resides in a pneumatic mattress; such for examthe hinge strips 2|.

Each of the ends 20 has secured to the outer face thereof a strap 22 adapted to be grasped by the hand as shown whereby the pillow may be filled with air from the atmosphere by pulling the pillow ends 'away from each other in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. This will cause air to enter the pillow from the atmosphere through the inlet l8; and the air thus confined in the pillow may be forced into the mattress by pressing downwardly on the pillow with the hands as shown in Fig. 3 to collapse the pillow and force the air into the mattress through the valve IS. The valve opening It may be provided with the protecting cap -21 attached to the pillow by the chain 24.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the pillow II serves also as a bellows and that when the mattress is to be inflated all that is necessary is to manually extend the pillow as shown in Fig. 2 and then collapse it as shown in Fig. 3, and repeat these operations until the mattress is inflated to the desired degree.

The partitions it within the mattress may be I made of porous material or may be provided with apertures through which air may pass from one tubular section to another. The pillow It may a handle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: 1. A pneumatic mattress having a pneumatic pillow permanently secured to the upper face or the mattress in position to form a head-rest for aseense a person lying on the mattress, both the mattress and pillow being formed of air-impervious sheet material adapted to be rolled into a compact package, a valve ioradmitting air from the pillow into the mattress, a valve for admitting air from the atmosphere into the pillow, and said pillow being constructed to form a bellows adapted to be extended and compressed with a pumping action whereby the mattress may be inflated by the bellows-pillow.

2. A pneumatic mattress having a pneumatic pillow attached to one face of the mattress in position to form a head-rest for a person lying on the mattress, both the mattress and pillow being formed of air-impervious sheet material adapted to be rolled into a compact package, a valve for admitting air from the pillow into the mattress, a second valve for admitting air from the atmosphere into the pillow, said pillow being constructed to form a bellows having end walls pivotally connected to the mattress for movement to and from a collapsed position whereby the bellows may be operated to pump air into the mattress.

' 3. A pneumatic mattress having a pneumatic pillow attached to one face 01' the mattress in overlying relation therewith to form a raised head-rest, both the mattress and'pillow being formed of air-impervious sheet material adapted to be rolled into a compact package, a valve foradmitting air into the pillow and a second valve for admitting air from the pillow into the mattress, and the pillow being constructed to be manually extended to draw air into the same and manually collapsed to force air into the mattress, whereby it serves as a bellows and inflated pillow.

VICTOR H. HURT. 

